U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower)

The skyscraper was first called Library Tower because of its close tie, physical and historical, to Bertram Goodhue's 1926 Central Library across the street. Its developer, Maguire Partners, bought the air rights above the library to gain height; the purchase also helped keep the older building from demolition and paid for its rehabilitation and expansion. It has also been called First Interstate World Center; today its name is U.S. Bank Tower.

Henry N. Cobb drew it to complement the library rather than dominate it: facing that small landmark, the tower curves back and leaves it pride of place. Its plan rests on two concentric geometries, one circular and one made of right angles; the round tower rises in four tall setbacks to a glass crown that glows at night like a beacon.

Light-coloured cladding and bright green glass set it apart from neighbours in darker tones. It also stands out for the richness of its materials, its stylised Art Deco imagery and its refined ornament. The structure was designed to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.3.

The tower houses offices, with restaurants and shops at its foot.

It is an office building, seen from outside, at 633 West Fifth Street, across from the Central Library. The adjoining Bunker Hill Steps link the lower and upper parts of downtown on foot.